Lesson 6
Free lavender — softwood cuttings
Lavender is one of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings. In June or August, snip 8 cm side shoots that are firming but still green at the tips (not yet woody).
Strip the lower 2/3 of leaves. Push the bare stem into a pot of 50:50 compost-and-grit; 5 cuttings per 9 cm pot. Water once, cover with a clear plastic bag, place in dappled shade. Roots in 4–6 weeks.
Pot on individually in autumn; plant out the following spring. 10 free plants from one parent — and the cheapest way to refresh an aging lavender hedge.
Lavender cuttings — June or August
- 1Pick non-flowering side shoots, 8 cm long, firm but still green at the tip.
- 2Strip the lower 2/3 of leaves with a clean pull (don't bruise the stem).
- 3Fill a 9 cm pot with 50:50 peat-free compost + horticultural grit.
- 4Push 5 cuttings around the edge of the pot, just deep enough to stand.
- 5Water once; cover with a clear polythene bag held off the leaves with sticks.
- 6Place in dappled shade. Roots in 4–6 weeks; pot on individually in autumn.